Three seaworthy Fiat 500 boats made an appearance at the 2013 Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California. They performed stunts on the water and wowed the crowds with their Italian flair.
The hatchback-jet ski hybrids were assembled by a Michigan-based company using a personal watercraft as a base. Genuine Fiat 500 bodies were grafted on to the watercraft, with all the mechanicals necessary for travel on land removed. Exterior gaps were sealed by foam and the wheels were remounted once the body was water-tight and prepped for ocean duty.
Fiberglass pontoons were added for stability, while fins help keep the vehicle agile in the water. The craft’s hull is constructed from fiberglass, and Fiat tells us much of the modification work focused on adapting the body to the watercraft, not making it float.
Fiat isn’t the only automaker to experiment with seaworthy machines: last year, Mini transformed a small boat to look like a 2004 convertible and float down the Charles River for the Head of the Charles Regatta.
A total of five Fiat-bodied watercraft have been built, and Fiat says a 500L version is on the way. The three that appeared at the surfing competition included an orange 500 hatch, white 500 Cabrio, and red 500 Abarth.
If seeing the Fiat 500 boat stride across the water gives you a case of déjà vu, it’s likely because a few of the watercraft were used in the commercial, Fiat tells us.